The government began consultation on proposals to establish an independent regulator of qualifications and tests in England.
Source: Confidence in Standards: Regulating and developing qualifications and assessment, Department for Children, Schools and Families and Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, Cm 7281, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Consultation document | DCSF press release | ASCL press release | Guardian report | TES report
Date: 2007-Dec
A report said that the United Kingdom had slipped down an international league table for secondary school teaching between 2000 and 2006 – from 4th to 14th in science, from 8th to 24th in maths, and from 7th to 17th in English.
Source: PISA 2006: Science Competencies for Tomorrow's World, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (+33 1 4524 8200)
Links: Report | Data report | Summary | UK country reports | Civitas press release | CBI press release | Conservative Party press release | Liberal Democrats press release | Guardian report | BBC report (1) | BBC report (2) | Telegraph report | FT report | Personnel Today report
Date: 2007-Dec
The government published updated information on overall achievements in the 2007 key stage 2 (age 11) national curriculum tests in England. Value added figures (key stage 1 to key stage 2) were published for the first time, following a pilot.
Source: National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 2 in England, 2007 (Revised), Statistical First Release 41/2007, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR | DCSF press release | BBC report
Date: 2007-Dec
A report said that the reading performance of children in England had fallen from 3rd to 19th in a league table of countries. Children were spending more time on computers, and reading less for fun.
Source: Liz Twist, Ian Schagen and Claire Hodgson, Progress in International Reading Literacy Study: National Report for England 2006, National Foundation for Educational Research (01753 747281)
Links: Report | NFER press release | NUT press release | NASUWT press release | Liberal Democrats press release | Telegraph report | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2007-Nov
A report summarized attainment by schoolchildren in England 2006-07, broken down by pupils' characteristics – gender, ethnicity, eligibility for free school meals, special educational needs, and English as an additional language. Boys on free school meals were the lowest-achieving group, regardless of ethnicity – fewer than one-third (31 per cent) got five 'good' GCSE grades. (GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education)
Source: National Curriculum Assessment, GCSE and Equivalent Attainment and Post- 16 Attainment by Pupil Characteristics, in England 2006/07, Statistical First Release 38/2007, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR | DCSF press release | NUT press release | Liberal Democrats press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2007-Nov
Three interim reports from an independent review of primary education in England raised questions about standards of pupil achievement in recent years, about how pupils compared with those from other countries, and about the national and international tests on which evidence about standards had been based. They highlighted the stability of English primary education over time; primary pupils' positive attitudes towards their learning; improvements in primary mathematics standards during recent years, especially since 1995; and high standards in primary reading and science compared with many other countries. But they also found increases in test-induced stress among pupils; a narrowing of the primary curriculum in response to the perceived pressure of testing; the limited impact of the national strategies on both reading standards and the quality of classroom discourse on which higher-order learning depended; the persistence of a much bigger gap between high- and low-attaining pupils than in many other countries; and that gains in reading skills had been made at the expense of pupils' enjoyment of reading.
Source: Peter Tymms and Christine Merrell, Standards and Quality in English Primary Schools Over Time: The National Evidence, The Primary Review/Faculty of Education/University of Cambridge (01223 767523) | Chris Whetton, Graham Ruddock and Liz Twist, Standards in English Primary Education: The International Evidence, The Primary Review/Faculty of Education/University of Cambridge | Wynne Harlen, The Quality Of Learning: Assessment Alternatives for Primary Education, The Primary Review/Faculty of Education/University of Cambridge
Links: Report (1) | Report (2) | Report (3) | Review press release | NASUWT press release | BSA press release | PSLA press release | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report (1) | BBC report (2) | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2) | Telegraph report
Date: 2007-Nov
A survey for the inspectorate for education and children's services found that young people were overwhelmingly healthy, sporting, community-minded, and conscientious about school. But nearly half of all children in England aged 10-15 had tried alcohol; 1 in 7 had tried illegal drugs; around one-third of said they had been bullied; and one-half said that their greatest worry was exams.
Source: Press release 16 November 2007, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (07002 637833)
Links: OFSTED press release | NUT press release | Guardian report | Telegraph report | BBC report
Date: 2007-Nov
Provisional information was published on the overall achievements of young people in GCSE examinations in 2007. For pupils at the end of key stage 4 in all schools, 61.5 per cent achieved 5 or more A*-C grades at GCSE or equivalent. This was an increase of 2.3 percentage points from 2005-06. (GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education)
Source: GCSE and Equivalent Results in England, 2006/07 (Provisional), Statistical First Release 34/2007, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR | DCSF press release | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report | NASUWT press release | ATL press release | Telegraph report | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Oct
A report by a committee of MPs said that creativity – in the form of the arts, music, and thinking more imaginatively about subjects – was a 'second-order priority' in England's schools. It said that creativity should be a fundamental part of learning, and should receive adequate funding.
Source: Creative Partnerships and the Curriculum, Eleventh Report (Session 2006-07), HC 1034, House of Commons Education and Skills Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | BBC report
Date: 2007-Oct
A study found that 86 per cent of pupils in schools in England participated in at least two hours of high quality physical exercise and out-of-hours school sport in a typical week in 2007. This meant that the government's 2008 target of 85 per cent participation had been exceeded a year early.
Source: Susannah Quick, 2006/07 School Sport Survey, Research Report RW024, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report | Brief | DCSF press release | YST press release | Liberal Democrats press release
Date: 2007-Oct
Provisional information was published on the achievements in GCE/VCE A/AS examinations in England in 2007. 94.7 per cent of candidates achieved passes equivalent to at least 2 GCE/VCE A-levels, compared with 95.1 per cent in 2005-06. The average point score per candidate entered for level 3 qualifications in 2006-07 was 726.3, compared with 721.5 in 2005-06. (GCE = General Certificate of Education; VCE = Vocational Certificate of Education; A = Advanced; AS = Advanced Subsidiary)
Source: GCE/VCE A/AS and Equivalent Examination Results in England, 2006/07 (Provisional), Statistical First Release 35/2007, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2007-Oct
The government announced plans to split the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in two: one body would establish and oversee the curriculum and exams system, while the other would act as a regulator. The plans were designed to counter accusations about 'grade inflation' in exam results, and 'dumbing down' of the curriculum.
Source: Press release 26 September 2007, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0870 000 2288)
Links: DCSF press release | QCA press release | CBI press release | PCS press release | ATL press release | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Sep
A think-tank report said that an inability to read and write properly at primary school was fuelling an 'anti-education culture' among boys.
Source: Chris Skidmore, Boys: A School Report, Bow Group (020 7431 6400)
Links: Report | Telegraph report
Date: 2007-Aug
Provisional results were published for key stage 3 national curriculum assessments (age 14) in 2007 in England. There was a small improvement in results for English and science, but a small fall in the number achieving the required level in maths.
Source: National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 3 in England, 2007 (Provisional), Statistical First Release 25/2007, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR | DCSF press release | ASCL press release | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report | Guardian report | FT report
Date: 2007-Aug
The curriculum advisory body accredited new A-levels, which would be taught from September 2008. The revised A-levels should be more challenging and the brightest pupils – those that got more than 90 per cent in their final exams – would get a new A* grade.
Source: Press release 3 August 2007, Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (020 7509 5555)
Links: QCA press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2007-Aug
The 2007 GCE/VCE A/AS examination results were published. 25.3 per cent of A-level grades awarded were in the highest (grade A) category, compared to 24.1 per cent in 2005-06. (GCE = General Certificate of Education; VCE = Vocational Certificate of Education; A = Advanced; AS = Advanced Subsidiary.)
Source: Press release 16 August 2007, Joint Council for Qualifications (0161 958 3737)
Links: JCQ press release | JCQ results tables | DCSF press release | NASUWT press release | ATL press release | CBI press release | UUK press release | ASCL press release | ISC press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Aug
Researchers examined whether pupil mobility in primary school disrupted learning. Pupil mobility was disruptive, and immobile pupils in mobile cohorts progressed less well between ages 8 and 11. However, observed levels of mobility could account for very little of the variation in pupil performance.
Source: Stephen Gibbons and Shqiponja Telhaj, Mobility and School Disruption, DP83, Centre for the Economics of Education/London School of Economics (020 7955 7285)
Date: 2007-Aug
The 2007 GCSE/GNVQ examination results were published. The overall GCSE results showed a 0.9 percentage point increase in grades awarded at A*-C (up from 62.4 per cent in 2006 to 63.3 per cent in 2007). (GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education: GNVQ = General National Vocational Qualification)
Source: Press release 23 August 2007, Joint Council for Qualifications (0161 958 3737) Links: JCQ press release | JCQ results tables | DCSF press release | CBI press release | ATL press release | ISC press release | Liberal Democrat press release | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Aug
Provisional results were were published for key stage 2 national curriculum assessments (age 11) in 2007 in England. There had been some progress, with attainment in English and maths improving by 1 percentage point. But the government's target – having 85 per cent achieve level 4 or above by 2006 – had still not been met.
Source: National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 2 in England, 2007 (Provisional), Statistical First Release 24/2007, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR | DCSF press release | ATL press release | Liberal Democrats press release | Guardian report | BBC report | FT report
Date: 2007-Aug
Provisional results were were published for key stage 1 national curriculum assessments (age 7) in 2007 in England. There had been no progress in reading skills and maths compared to the previous year, and a decline in writing skills.
Source: National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 1 in England, 2007 (Provisional), Statistical First Release 26/2007, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR | DCSF press release | NUT press release | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Aug
A think-tank report criticized the government's approach to A-level examinations. The government had focused on artificially generating indicators of improvement instead of focusing on actually improving schools. This prioritization of grade-gaining over quality devalued both A-levels and students. (A = Advanced)
Source: Anastasia de Waal and Nicholas Cowen, The Results Generation, Civitas (020 7401 5470)
Links: Report | Civitas press release
Date: 2007-Aug
An official advisory body launched a new secondary national curriculum for England and Wales. It said that the new programmes of study were designed to give teachers a less prescriptive, more flexible framework for teaching, creating more scope to tailor the curriculum to meet the needs of each individual student.
Source: Press release 12 July 2007, Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (020 7509 5555)
Links: QCA press release | Speech | DCSF press release | ATL press release | PAT press release | NUT press release | IFS press release | Citizenship Foundation press release | UWE press release | Conservative Party press release | Guardian report | BBC report | Personnel Today report
Date: 2007-Jul
An article applied a simultaneous equation model to estimate the effect of school resources on pupils? achievement at age 14, using the newly available national pupil database and pupil-level annual school census.
Source: Fiona Steele, Anna Vignoles and Andrew Jenkins, 'The effect of school resources on pupil attainment: a multilevel simultaneous equation modelling approach', Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A, Volume 170 Issue 3
Links: Article
Date: 2007-Jul
The inspectorate for education and children's services said that the pilot programme in secondary schools for developing social, emotional and behavioural skills was introduced successfully when senior school leaders understood its underlying philosophy. Where this was not the case, it remained a 'bolt on' to personal, social, and health education (PSHE) lessons or form tutor time, and was largely ineffective.
Source: Developing Social, Emotional and Behavioural Skills in Secondary Schools, HMI 070048, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (07002 637833)
Links: Report | OFSTED press release
Date: 2007-Jul
The inspectorate for education and children's services said that some progress had been made in enhancing the provision for religious education. Much greater consensus existed about the nature and purpose of the subject, and fewer schools failed to meet the statutory requirement to teach RE. But achievement at key stage 3 remained very inconsistent and too much teaching was unchallenging.
Source: Making Sense of Religion: A report on religious education in schools and the impact of locally agreed syllabuses, HMI 070045, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (07002 637833)
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | BHA press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2007-Jun
The teaching standards watchdog said that national exams for children under 16 in England should be scrapped. It said that the tests were failing to raise standards, and placed 'added stress' on pupils, teachers, and parents. Instead of the tests (at ages 7, 11, and 14), standards could be checked by monitoring a sample of pupils.
Source: Assessment in the Future: Building the case for change, General Teaching Council for England (0870 001 0308)
Links: Report | Summary | ATL press release | BBC report | Guardian report | FT report
Date: 2007-Jun
A paper drew together a wide range of evidence on gender and education in England. It examined the extent of the 'gender gap', and discussed the role of gender in education alongside the role of other pupil characteristics, particularly social class and ethnicity. It considered why there were differences in boys? and girls? participation and achievement, and what strategies were effective in tackling boys? lower attainment levels.
Source: Gender and Education: The evidence on pupils in England, Topic Paper RTP01-07, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Jun
The government announced a goal for 80 per cent of children in England to achieve five or more good (A* to C) GCSE passes by 2020 (preferably including English, maths and accredited vocational programmes). (GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education)
Source: Speech by Lord Adonis (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools), 25 June 2007
Links: Text of speech | FT report | BBC report
Date: 2007-Jun
A think-tank report said that the school curriculum had been corrupted by political interference. Traditional subject areas had been hijacked to promote fashionable causes such as gender awareness, the environment, and anti-racism. Teachers were expected to help to achieve the government's social goals, instead of imparting a body of academic knowledge to their students.
Source: Frank Furedi et al., The Corruption of the Curriculum, Civitas (020 7401 5470)
Links: Civitas press release | Conservative Party press release | Telegraph report | BBC report
Date: 2007-Jun
A report examined the issues arising from a small-scale investigation focusing on pupils who were at risk of not converting a level 2 in English and mathematics at key stage 1 (age 7) into a level 4 at the end of key stage 2 (age 11).
Source: Keeping Up: Pupils who fall behind in key stage 2, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report | DfES press release
Date: 2007-May
An article said that less visible forms of citizenship education (such as attending to ethics and values across the curriculum, or the impact of assessment policies on school ethos) were receiving insufficient attention.
Source: Mark Pike, 'Values and visibility: the implementation and assessment of citizenship education in schools', Educational Review, Volume 59 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2007-May
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on citizenship education. It said that citizenship education had a range of positive impacts, which might include improved educational attainment.
Source: Citizenship Education: Government Response to the Committee's Second Report of Session 2006?07, Second Special Report (Session 2006-07), HC 517, House of Commons Education and Skills Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response | MPs report
Date: 2007-May
Researchers examined trends in citizenship education in secondary schools. They found that the potential links between citizenship education and wider policy initiatives were not exploited to the full.
Source: David Kerr et al., Vision Versus Pragmatism: Citizenship in the secondary school curriculum in England, Research Report 845, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2007-May
The inspectorate for education and children's services said that in the previous five years the quality of personal, social and health education (PSHE) programmes in schools had improved steadily. But PSHE was taught by non-specialists in some schools, and too much of this teaching was unsatisfactory.
Source: Time for Change? Personal, social and health education, HMI 070049, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (07002 637833)
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | DEF press release | BHA press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Apr
A new book said that the school testing regime since 1997 had had damaging side-effects, as teachers were forced to adopt shortcuts to improve statistics - whether or not they were in pupils' best interests. The tests might have been good for government: but they had not produced rounded children, and standards had not risen as hoped.
Source: Warwick Mansell, Education by Numbers: The damaging treadmill of school tests, Politico's Publishing (0870 850 1110)
Links: Summary
Date: 2007-Apr
The education inspectorate in Wales said that schools and their wider communities needed to do more to teach young people about the moral and emotional aspects of sex and relationships.
Source: Sex and Relationships Guidance, HM Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales (029 2044 6446)
Links: Report | HMCIETW press release
Date: 2007-Mar
An article said that there was clear evidence for a real rise in reading attainment over the period 1998 to 2000, which might be attributable to the children's experience of the national literacy strategy.
Source: Sara Meadows, David Herrick and Anthony Feiler, 'Improvement in national test reading scores at key stage 1: grade inflation or better achievement?', British Educational Research Journal, Volume 33 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2007-Feb
Statistics were published showing attainment for 2005-06 (in England) broken down by pupils' characteristics - sex, ethnicity, eligibility for free school meals, special education needs, and English as an additional language.
Source: National Curriculum Assessments, GCSE and Equivalent Attainment and Post-16 Attainment by Pupil Characteristics, in England 2005/06, Statistical First Release 04/2007, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR
Date: 2007-Feb
The number of young people aged 19 in England achieving a level 2 qualification (5 GCSEs at A*-C or the vocational equivalent) in 2006 reached 71.4 per cent - 2.1 per cent higher than the government's target. (GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education)
Source: Level 2 and 3 Attainment by Young People in England Measured Using Matched Administrative Data: Attainment by Age 19 in 2006 (Provisional), Statistical First Release 06/2007, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR | DfES press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2007-Feb
A report (by an official advisory body) began consultation on a revised national curriculum for schoolchildren in England aged 11-14. It said that schools should be given more freedom to tailor lessons to pupils.
Source: Press release 5 February 2007, Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (020 7509 5555)
Links: QCA press release | Consultation website | DfES press release | PAT press release | ASCL press release | CBI press release | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2) | BBC report
Date: 2007-Feb
Final statistics were published on the 2006 national curriculum tests in England at age 14 (key stage 3). 73 per cent of pupils attained level 5 in English, down 1 percentage point; 77 per cent did so in maths, up 3 points; and 72 per cent did so in science, up 2 points. There were widely varying performances in different types of school, with academies doing the worst. There was a pronounced gender gap in English: 65 per cent of boys reached level 5, compared with 80 per cent of girls.
Source: National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 3 in England, 2005/06 (Revised), Statistical First Release 07/2007Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR | Tables | DfES press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Feb
Final results were published for the foundation stage profile assessments in England for 2006. The majority of children continued to work securely within the early learning goals for all assessment areas. For the first time the report showed the extent of the inequality gap in attainment between children resident in the most deprived areas and the rest of England.
Source: Foundation Stage Profile 2006: National Results (Final), Statistical First Release 3/2007, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR | BBC report
Date: 2007-Jan
The government began consultation on proposals to pilot new ways to measure, assess, report, and stimulate progress in schools. The pilots would run for two years at key stages 2 and 3 (ages 11 and 14). They would include: one-to-one tuition in English and/or mathematics, to lift the performance of children who entered key stage 2 or key stage 3 behind the expected level; changes to assessment, allowing children to take national tests as soon as they were ready, rather than only at the end of a key stage; and new progress targets to measure a school's success in moving pupils forward - schools which made excellent progress would be rewarded with a 'progression premium'.
Source: Making Good Progress: How can we help every pupil to make good progress at school?, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Consultation document | DfES press release | GTC press release | NASUWT press release | ASCL press release | ATL press release | PAT press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2007-Jan
An official review report (the 'Gilbert' review) presented a vision for personalizing teaching and learning for children and young people aged 5-16. It considered ways to improve and sustain the rate of pupil progress, strategies to enhance teachers? skills and share best practice, and how to engage pupils and parents in the learning process. All children should have the right to one-to-one tuition to prevent them from falling behind. New targets would also oblige schools to focus their efforts on pupils who were not making sufficient progress.
Source: Teaching and Learning in 2020 Review Group, 2020 Vision, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report | DfES press release | NASUWT press release | PAT press release | ASCL press release | GTC press release | Guardian report | BBC report | FT report
Date: 2007-Jan
